Special Olympics meets in Santo Domingo
Constanza gets revamped public hospital
Government doubles interest payments in four years, but debt burden to GDP is below regional average
French Development Agency announces US$100 million to expand Metro service
Progress by Coraasan on Santiago water supply
Fuel prices drop consistently, yet organizers say 27 November strike still on
President of the Chamber of Deputies: It’s all in the family
The high cost of managing illegal migration
Celso Marranzini: Resistance to primary care is “irrational”
Update on the pythons
PRD chooses open primaries to choose its presidential candidate
Alicia Ortega will tell the Metro story in Colombia
Appeals Court increases SFM sentence by three years
Authorities arrest lead suspect in munitions and weapons contraband
Professional Winter Baseball League update
Special Olympics meets in Santo Domingo
President Danilo Medina and First Lady Candida Montilla presided over the opening of the World Tennis Invitational Santo Domingo, part of the Special Olympics global competitions, at the installations of the Parque del Este in eastern Santo Domingo. 220 athletes from 30 countries are participating in the tennis matches from 12-16 November 2018. The Dominican Republic is represented by a 26-athlete strong delegation.
The event marks the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics World Tennis Invitational. For the occasion, the Dominican Republic is also hosting the Special Olympics Global Athletes Congress from 9 to 17 November. For the events, 100 coaches, 500 families, 50 judges and officials from around the world are here.
The Office of the First Lady of Dominican Republic is coordinating the events together with the Ministry of Sports and providing all its support in the organization, logistics and operation of these activities.
As reported by Special Olympics, with the celebration of these events, the Dominican Republic consolidates its commitment to the promotion of societies with greater inclusion, respect and dignified treatment of people with different abilities. In the Dominican Republic, part of these actions are motorized through the Center for Integral Attention for Disability (CAID), based in Santo Domingo West, Santiago and San Juan de la Maguana. CAID is under by the Office of First Lady Candida Montilla.
In addition to the World Tennis Invitational and the Global Athletes Congress, Santo Domingo is hosting the Special Olympics International Board of Directors Annual Meeting. The three events are part of the commemorative activities of the 50th Anniversary celebration of Special Olympics.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...ta-mundial-de-la-inclusion-con-actividades-de
Constanza gets revamped public hospital
The Presidency announced the completion of the Hospital Pedro A. Céspedes in Constanza. The medical center is fully equipped to offer high standard medical care. The hospital will be inaugurated on 12 November 2018. The public hospital features areas for emergency care, vaccinations, surgery, newly born care, areas for medical specialists and general medicine, images, laboratory, pharmacy, morgue, cafeteria, laundry. There are also special areas for the treatment of cholera, TB and HIV/AIDS.
Government doubles interest payments in four years, but debt burden to GDP is below regional average
The Dominican Republic public debt burden is well below average by Caribbean and Central American standards, according to the Regional Economic Outlook published in October 2018 by the International Monetary Fund. The report says that with the exception of Haiti, the debt to GDP burden of other Caribbean nations is much higher than the Dominican Republic.
The 2017 debt to GDP ratio of most of the Caribbean and Central American nations as reported by the IMF in its October 2018 “Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean,” report reveals that Barbados has the highest debt to GDP burden in the region, with 157.3% of GDP. The Dominican Republic is listed with 37.2% of GDP. The regional countries listed are:
Central America:
Belize 99%
El Salvador 67.9%
Costa Rica 48.9%
Honduras 39.5%
Panama 37.8%
Nicaragua 33.3%
Guatemala 24.7%
Caribbean:
Barbados 157.3%
Jamaica 101.0%
Antigua & Barbuda 86.8%
Aruba 86%
St. Vincent & Grenadines 73.8%
St. Lucia 70.7%
Grenada 70.4%
St. Kitts & Nevis 62.9%
The Bahamas 54.6%
Dominica 82.7%
Trinidad & Tobago 41.8%
Dominican Republic 37.2%
Haiti 31.1%
The same report states that despite the overall slowdown in the region, growth in the Dominican Republic and El Salvador has accelerated since the start of the year to above potential, supported by persistently robust inflows of remittances and, in the case of the Dominican Republic, the monetary easing in mid-2017.
The Medina administration has added the most debt to the country’s public debt over the past six years in government. Just last week, the government announced it would be adding US$600 million in a loan from the China Export-Import Bank and another US$400 million loan from the IDB to the national foreign debt.
Diario Libre reports that from January to September 2018 the government has paid US$3.5 billion in principal and interests on the nonfinancial public sector loan. For the same period in 2017, the Medina administration paid US$3.2 billion.
El Dinero reports that in the past five years the government has doubled the amount paid for interest payments on the foreign debt, while contributing less to paying principal. From 2013 to 2017, the net increase in interest payment service of the foreign debt was US$511.4 million or 106% more. The Medina government paid US$991.7 million in interest payments, compared to the previous US$480.3 million.
https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/REO/WH/Issues/2018/10/11/wreo1018
https://www.eldinero.com.do/70072/rd-paga-mas-intereses-que-capital-en-servicio-de-deuda-publica/
French Development Agency announces US$100 million to expand Metro service
The French Development Agency (AFD) announced it has approved US$100 million in financing for the expansion of the No. 1 line of the Santo Domingo Metro. The funds will be available in December 2018. The expansion is to meet demand by thousands of users.
The announcement was made by Sandra Kassab, senior charge d’affairs at the AFD when participating in the photography exhibition opening in Santo Domingo: “Rostros que se mueven con el Desarrollo” at the Juan Pablo Duarte Metro station on Máximo Gómez and John F. Kennedy avenues intersections. Kassab said the exhibition evidences the great impact the metro and skylift have had on the population of Greater Santo Domingo. Both were built with French technology.
Kassab said the agency has contributed financing for US$450 million for the Metro. Overall, over the past 20 years, AFD has provided US$625 million for city, sustainable transport, natural resources conservation, sanitation, water works, education and health projects. The AFD is also backing the Nueva Barquita urban renewal housing project.
Manuel Antonio Saleta García, director of the Metro Office (OPRET) said that on Monday, 12 November, two more cars would be in service. He said the OPRET has already contracted for five cars that would arrive next year.
http://hoy.com.do/agencia-aprueba-us100-millones-ampliar-servicios-linea-uno-metro/
Progress by Coraasan on Santiago water supply
Silvio Duran, the director general of the Santiago Water and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan), said that by the end of next year the expansion projects throughout the city will be finished, bringing some 60,000,000 gallons of water to the city’s population. He said some sectors of Santiago are now guaranteed 20 hours of water service a day while others will have water service on a continual basis.
Duran guaranteed that next year the aqueduct that Coraasan is building in the community of Cienfuegos will enter into operation and that will resolve the problem of supplying water to that area.
In the meantime, technicians from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are inspecting the expansion and refurbishing projects throughout the distribution network that Coraasan is carrying out at this time.
Some sections of Santiago experienced over 30 days without any water service during the summer, and now many residents are greeting twice a week service as a godsend. The repairs and expansion on the network will involve an investment of RD$741 million with resources from both the IDB and the central government and will benefit more than 100,000 inhabitants in the southern part of the city as well as Gurabo.
325 expats coming for National Sports Games
The Ministry of Sports announced it has invited 325 athletes from abroad to participate in the December 2018 National Sports Games. The Hermanas Mirabal 2018 Games will take place 6 to 16 December 2018. The expat athletes will be coming from Florida and several states in New England region in the USA, Europe, and Puerto Rico. The largest delegation will be from the New England region, or 155 athletes. Another 3,700 athletes from five regions of the Dominican Republic will also compete in the 36 sports.
The organizing committee of the games said that 78 athletes that participated in the recent Central American & Caribbean Games Barranquilla 2018 will be participating. These include 46 that won medals in those regional games, including Crismery Santana who won two golds.
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...25-atletas-vendran-a-juegos-desde-el-exterior
Fuel prices drop consistently, yet organizers say 27 November strike still on
The Ministry of Industry & Commerce has been gradually been reducing the price of fuel in the Dominican Republic. Nevertheless, the organizers of a national strike set for 27 November 2018 say the reductions are not enough to cancel the call to strike.
The so-called Coordinadora por la Rebaja de los Combustibles says that propane should cost no more than RD$65, and unleaded premium gasoline should top at RD$165 the gallon. Diesel should cost no more than RD$102.
The prices in effect for fuel in the Dominican Republic from 10-16 November 2018 are:
Propane RD$116.40;
Premium gasoline: RD$230.10
Regular gasoline: RD$221.40
Natural Gas RD$28.97 cubic meter,
Regular Diesel: RD$195.70,
Premium diesel RD$207.90
https://noticiassin.com/mantienen-paro-anunciado-para-este-27-de-noviembre-por-alza-combustibles/
President of the Chamber of Deputies: It’s all in the family
A recent investigative report in Diario Libre highlights the long list of close relatives of the president of the Chamber of Deputies Radhames Camacho Cuevas who are employed in government. Camacho is a member of the Political Committee of the ruling PLD party. He has done well for himself; in 8 years he has more than tripled his worth, according to wealth statements he has presented following civic society and press requests.
In a country where political patronage and wasteful spending is high, it is not unusual for several family members of an important politician to be on the government payroll. Diario Libre mentions that Camacho did not mention his wife in his statement of wealth. His wife is deputy minister at the Ministry of Education. His wife is on the Ministry of Education payroll with a monthly salary of RD$250,000. She posted her own statement of worth where she states that she has three residences worth RD$9 million, RD$2 million and RD$6 million, and bank account savings for RD$3.6 million and a loan for RD$4.8 million.
Camacho’s son, Guilver Radhames Camacho Brugos, is employed in the Dominican Telecommunications Institute making RD$60,000. Another of son Camacho, Jose Ernesto Camacho Burgos, is employed as a paralegal at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce making RD$50,000 per month. He is also on the payroll of the Dominican Port Authority as a consultant with a RD$30,000 monthly stipend.
Digna Camacho, the sister of Camacho, is on the payroll of the Ministry of Public Health where she makes RD$51,978. Deputy Camacho’s brother, Euclides Camacho Cuevas, is employed at the Central Electoral Board (JCE) with wages of RD$49,400. And his brother Wilson Camacho Cuevas is deputy consul in Anse-a-Pitre, Haiti with a wage of US$1,750. Two other sisters of the president of the Chamber of Deputies are on the state payroll as public school teachers with the Ministry of Education.
Recently, it was known that independently of his wife, Radhames Camacho posted his worth was RD$70 million, up by around 150% from what he posted when he was first voted a deputy in 2010 for the ruling party in 2010.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Radhames Camacho presented his statement of worth on 28 September 2018. The law establishes he needs to do so 30 days after he was sworn in on 16 August 2016. He had not presented an update of his statement presented when he entered the Chamber of Deputies in 2010. El Dia reports that in 2010 he reported assets of RD$43 million to RD$75 million. But Diario Libre says he declared RD$28.2 million in 2010 and now says he has RD$70.7 million. He has savings in pesos of RD$17.1 million and US$141,423 in hard currency.
In his 2018 statement of worth, Camacho declared property for RD$30.7 million, including his residence for RD$9.6 and an office valued at RD$9.1 million. He reported he has four vehicles for RD$8 million. He also has bank deposits for RD$33.3 million and a loan for RD$4 million.
Prior to being elected a deputy for the ruling PLD party, Camacho was a public school teacher. And then from 2000-2004, he was named to the board of directors of the Dominican Institute of Social Security (IDSS). He was also appointed deputy of the Parlamento Centroamericano from 2004-2010. In the ruling PLD party, he is a member of both the Central Committee and the Camacho receives net RD$164,900 in wages and has expense account of RD$40,950 plus RD$75,000 a month. In addition he gets an incentive of RD$3,500 for each session he attends and an extra RD$2,000 for commission works.
Formerly of the PRD, in 22 September 2011 Camacho joined the ruling PLD to back Medina’s aspirations to the presidency in 2012.
A cartoon in El Dia on 12 November 2018 highlights that legislators and professors are just as profitable as careers in MLB baseball.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-distintas-instituciones-estatales-MF11279630
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...cio-un-150-por-ciento-en-ocho-anos-JF11270669
https://www.diariolibre.com/cronologia/ver/****/declaracion-jurada-de-bienes
http://hoy.com.do/radhames-fermin-con-danilo/
http://eldia.com.do/camacho-declara-patrimonio-superior-a-los-rd75-millones/
h https://acento.com.do/2011/politica...obro-por-adelantado-su-apoyo-a-danilo-medina/
http://eldia.com.do/radhames-camacho-yo-deposite-mi-declaracion-jurada-antes-del-tiempo-establecido/
http://eldia.com.do/radhames-camacho-yo-deposite-mi-declaracion-jurada-antes-del-tiempo-establecido/
https://www.camaradediputados.gob.do/app/app_2011/cd_diputados_det.aspx
http://eldia.com.do/el-carrusel-de-la-vida-1319/
The high cost of managing illegal migration
The Migration Agency (DGM) reported that some 12,356 foreigners from eight countries were either repatriated or refused admission to the country during the month of October 2018. Of this number, 6,254 were not admitted upon attempting to come into the country by air, sea and land, according to a statistical report from the DGM.
According to the report the foreigners repatriated came from Columbia, Cuba, Spain, United States of America, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Vietnam. The majority of the foreigners deported had an irregular migration status, and were detained during operations of interdiction carried out during the month of October in provinces of the country.
The report from Migration indicates some 445,530 persons entered the country and 458,061 persons left the country during the month of October through the national airports with the Punta Cana International Airport being the greatest contributor to this number, followed by Las Americas International in Santo Domingo and Cibao Airport in Santiago.
Regarding the Dominican-Haitian land border, the institution reported that 21,725 persons entered the country and 17,586 persons left the country mostly through Jimani, followed by Dajabon, Elias Piña and Pedernales legal entry points.
Regarding maritime movement, some 76,449 persons entered the country and 76,587 persons left the country mostly through the tourist ports of Amber Cove in Puerto Plata and Casa de Campo in La Romana, the country’s main cruise ship ports.
http://eldia.com.do/migracion-deportan-mas-de-12-mil-extranjeros-el-mes-pasado/
Celso Marranzini: Resistance to primary care is “irrational”
Doctors and owners of medical clinics who oppose the nationwide startup of a primary care system are acting “irrationally”, in the words of former National Business Council (Conep) president Celso Marranzini. The opposing physicians and health care clinic managers argue that such a system violates the right of a free choice of medical attention by affiliates.
Marranzini said that if something has failed in the social security system it is because the doctors and clinics have stiffened their resistance to primary care units as the first level of healthcare.
Also sounding out on the situation where the Secretary-General of the National Union of Dominican Workers, Laureano Manzanillo and the president of the Institutional Central of Autonomous Workers, Rafael Castillo, who demanded the different sectors of the country to join forces to force the entry of the primary care system in the family health insurance.
The Dominican Medical Guild (CMD) is opposed to the implementation of primary care arguing that thousands of patients would no longer be able to use their insurance to continue care with their choice of medics, while the health providers would continue to collect on the insurance.
https://elnacional.com.do/ve-irracional-oposicion-a-la-atencion-primaria/
https://elnacional.com.do/centrales-piden-entrada-plan-de-atencion-primaria/
Update on the pythons
It is now known that Silvio Alcántara is the owner of the reticulated pythons that were seized by the Army in Jicomé, Valverde province when being transferred last week. The snakes measured more than 6 meters. They were taken to the National Zoo where veterinarians reported they were in good condition.
The import of these snakes is banned in the country. The transporters could not present authorization from the Ministry of Environment for the keeping and handling of the snakes.
He said the snakes had been kept in a ranch of his property in Higüerito, in the northwestern province of Santiago Rodríguez. He said he was contemplating opening a zoo and marketing it as a tourist attraction but could not find enough government support.
The snakes were confiscated at the crossing between Esperanza and Navarrete when they were being transported after he donated these to a zoo located in Santiago de los Caballeros owned by former deputy Radhames Fermin.
Alcantara said the snakes were imported around 10 years ago by Dominican biologist Marcelino Hernández. He said he spent a large amount of money to breed the snakes. He said every 15 days the snakes would eat a small 150 lb baby cow.
Alcántara says he still has a female tiger and a crane on his farm.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...jicome-tambien-tiene-una-tigresa-y-una-grulla
http://eldia.com.do/serpientes-incautadas-en-valverde-tenian-10-anos-en-cautiverio/
PRD chooses open primaries to decide its presidential candidate
Since 2015, the PRD party that has been a strong ally to the ruling PLD. Last week the party announced that its National Executive Committee has decided on the modality of open primaries to choose its presidential candidate for the 2020 general election. This means any person eligible to vote can vote for the presidential candidate of the PRD. The recently Political Parties Law ordered these be held on the same day and hour nationwide. The JCE will be deducting the cost of organizing the costly open primaries from the government allotments made to each political party.
Foreign Minister and president of the PRD Miguel Vargas Maldonado made the announcement on Saturday, 10 November 2018. He said that for the legislative and municipal elections it was decided that an assembly of party leaders and delegates would meet to come forth with their recommendation of the modality that would be used for these. The commission includes José Leonel Cabrera, Peggy Cabral, Rafael Vásquez, Julio Santos, Janet Camilo, Juan Morales, Juan Carlos Beras, Julio Mariñez, Carlos Gabriel García, Alejandro Abreu, Héctor Guzmán, Luis Ernesto Camilo, Ulises Hernández, Joel Díaz and Juan Santos.
Earlier, on 27 October 2018, the Central Committee of the ruling PLD deposited with the JCE that they had chosen the open primaries modality to choose their presidential candidate.
The PRM, the largest opposition party, has chosen to celebrate closed primaries.
The ruling PLD party has registered with the JCE to hold open primaries.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...e-decide-por-primarias-abiertas-y-simultaneas
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/11...ien-aprueba-primarias-abiertas-y-simultaneas/
Alicia Ortega will tell the Metro story in Colombia
Investigative reporter Alicia Ortega presented her work on the Santo Domingo Metro system during the 2018 Latin American Conference on Investigative Journalism that was held over the weekend. Ortega’s participation is part of the section dedicated to state corruption and her research was selected by the Press and Society Institute as being among the best journalistic reporting in Latin America to be presented at the four-day conference in Bogotá.
Ortega’s report also includes the more than two dozen companies tied to Diandino Peña who was for many years in charge of the Opret office that was building the Metro system.
Ortega’s research is called “The Undeclared Emporium” and was carried on national Dominican television in May 2017. Nine months of research lead to the revelation on TV that Peña was behind at least 29 companies, 15 of them registered overseas and 14 in the Dominican Republic. The information was gathered thanks to a major leaking of information and the hard work of international investigators and the revelations produced by the famous “Panama papers” on the database of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca that specialized in creating offshore companies while hiding the real identity of the owners.
The information from those papers also brought to light companies in tax havens that were held by government officials as well as important political, entertainment and government personalities in the Dominican Republic, especially Diandino Peña who was fired from his position just days after Alicia Ortega’s revelations.
https://www.diariolibre.com/revista...on-sobre-el-metro-de-santo-domingo-AK11286240
https://elinformeconaliciaortega.co...e-diandino-pena-autoridades-guardan-silencio/
Appeals Court increases SFM sentence by three years
Former San Francisco de Macoris mayor Felix Manuel Rodríguez Grullón appealed for getting a 5-year sentence, but lost the appeal. Now he needs to serve eight years in jail, for corruption in office, instead of five.
The Court of Appeals of Santo Domingo had convicted Felix Rodriguez, the former Mayor of San Francisco de Macoris, for the misappropriation and embezzlement regarding RD$400 million in irregular payments when he was in the position. The former official was ordered to serve his sentence at the Correctional and Rehabilitation Center “Vista del Valle” in San Francisco de Macoris. He was also sentenced to pay a RD$30 million peso fine, instead of the previous RD$5 million. Rodríguez is a PLD politician.
As part of the same case, Jerson Lizardo, the former personnel director at the Mayor’s office will have to serve five years in prison sentence at the same institution and payment of RD$10 million fine.
Another person involved, Fiordaliza Genao was sentenced to five years of house arrest. She had been discharged in the previous hearing.
The court handed down the sentence after reviewing appeals of a sentence given in December 2017 by the Second Collegiate Tribunal of Santo Domingo that had convicted Rodriguez to five years in prison. The first court argued that Rodriguez could only be convicted for administrative faults and not bribes or swindles, nor were the actions criminal association or acts of corruption that were added to the sentence in the Court of Appeals.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...lcalde-de-san-francisco-de-macoris-CK11285241
https://acento.com.do/2018/actualid...na-al-felix-san-francisco-macoris-corrupcion/
https://acento.com.do/2017/actualid...x-san-francisco-macoris-otros-exfuncionarios/
Authorities arrest lead suspect in munitions and weapons contraband
Julio Alfredo Rondon Abreu is accused of being the person responsible for a shipment of 60,000 bullets and 15 semi-automatic pistols seized last week at East Haina Port. The ammunition and pistols of different calibers were discovered in a freight container on the docks at Haina Oriental by members of the Ministry of Defense’s intelligence agency (J2). They were bundled in 600 boxes with an apple juice shipment by the Barcelonica Trans Commercial company. One of its representatives, identified by the authorities as Federico Sosa Guzman, has also been detained.
The authorities say that Rondon has a criminal record and has been tried for drug trafficking, tax evasion, bribing judges. He was arrested in his residence in Bella Vista in the National District by officers of the J2 and Public Ministry.
http://eldia.com.do/arrestado-por-contrabando-armas-tiene-largo-historial/
https://elnacional.com.do/buscan-determinar-duenos-60-mil-balas-y-15-pistolas/
Professional Winter Baseball League update
The Gigantes del Cibao, Aguilas Cibaeñas and Estrellas Orientales are tied for first place in the Dominican Professional Winter Baseball Championship. The triple tie occurred after the Licey Tigers defeated the Aguilas Cibaeñas 1-0 on Sunday evening at the Quisqueya Ball Park in Santo Domingo. On Sunday, the Estrellas defeated the Toros also at their home club in San Pedro de Macoris (1-0) and the Escogido defeated the Gigantes del Cibao in San Francisco de Macoris 13-11.
See the tournament standings and the calendar at:
http://www.lidom.com/home/
Constanza gets revamped public hospital
Government doubles interest payments in four years, but debt burden to GDP is below regional average
French Development Agency announces US$100 million to expand Metro service
Progress by Coraasan on Santiago water supply
Fuel prices drop consistently, yet organizers say 27 November strike still on
President of the Chamber of Deputies: It’s all in the family
The high cost of managing illegal migration
Celso Marranzini: Resistance to primary care is “irrational”
Update on the pythons
PRD chooses open primaries to choose its presidential candidate
Alicia Ortega will tell the Metro story in Colombia
Appeals Court increases SFM sentence by three years
Authorities arrest lead suspect in munitions and weapons contraband
Professional Winter Baseball League update
Special Olympics meets in Santo Domingo
President Danilo Medina and First Lady Candida Montilla presided over the opening of the World Tennis Invitational Santo Domingo, part of the Special Olympics global competitions, at the installations of the Parque del Este in eastern Santo Domingo. 220 athletes from 30 countries are participating in the tennis matches from 12-16 November 2018. The Dominican Republic is represented by a 26-athlete strong delegation.
The event marks the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics World Tennis Invitational. For the occasion, the Dominican Republic is also hosting the Special Olympics Global Athletes Congress from 9 to 17 November. For the events, 100 coaches, 500 families, 50 judges and officials from around the world are here.
The Office of the First Lady of Dominican Republic is coordinating the events together with the Ministry of Sports and providing all its support in the organization, logistics and operation of these activities.
As reported by Special Olympics, with the celebration of these events, the Dominican Republic consolidates its commitment to the promotion of societies with greater inclusion, respect and dignified treatment of people with different abilities. In the Dominican Republic, part of these actions are motorized through the Center for Integral Attention for Disability (CAID), based in Santo Domingo West, Santiago and San Juan de la Maguana. CAID is under by the Office of First Lady Candida Montilla.
In addition to the World Tennis Invitational and the Global Athletes Congress, Santo Domingo is hosting the Special Olympics International Board of Directors Annual Meeting. The three events are part of the commemorative activities of the 50th Anniversary celebration of Special Olympics.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...ta-mundial-de-la-inclusion-con-actividades-de
Constanza gets revamped public hospital
The Presidency announced the completion of the Hospital Pedro A. Céspedes in Constanza. The medical center is fully equipped to offer high standard medical care. The hospital will be inaugurated on 12 November 2018. The public hospital features areas for emergency care, vaccinations, surgery, newly born care, areas for medical specialists and general medicine, images, laboratory, pharmacy, morgue, cafeteria, laundry. There are also special areas for the treatment of cholera, TB and HIV/AIDS.
Government doubles interest payments in four years, but debt burden to GDP is below regional average
The Dominican Republic public debt burden is well below average by Caribbean and Central American standards, according to the Regional Economic Outlook published in October 2018 by the International Monetary Fund. The report says that with the exception of Haiti, the debt to GDP burden of other Caribbean nations is much higher than the Dominican Republic.
The 2017 debt to GDP ratio of most of the Caribbean and Central American nations as reported by the IMF in its October 2018 “Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean,” report reveals that Barbados has the highest debt to GDP burden in the region, with 157.3% of GDP. The Dominican Republic is listed with 37.2% of GDP. The regional countries listed are:
Central America:
Belize 99%
El Salvador 67.9%
Costa Rica 48.9%
Honduras 39.5%
Panama 37.8%
Nicaragua 33.3%
Guatemala 24.7%
Caribbean:
Barbados 157.3%
Jamaica 101.0%
Antigua & Barbuda 86.8%
Aruba 86%
St. Vincent & Grenadines 73.8%
St. Lucia 70.7%
Grenada 70.4%
St. Kitts & Nevis 62.9%
The Bahamas 54.6%
Dominica 82.7%
Trinidad & Tobago 41.8%
Dominican Republic 37.2%
Haiti 31.1%
The same report states that despite the overall slowdown in the region, growth in the Dominican Republic and El Salvador has accelerated since the start of the year to above potential, supported by persistently robust inflows of remittances and, in the case of the Dominican Republic, the monetary easing in mid-2017.
The Medina administration has added the most debt to the country’s public debt over the past six years in government. Just last week, the government announced it would be adding US$600 million in a loan from the China Export-Import Bank and another US$400 million loan from the IDB to the national foreign debt.
Diario Libre reports that from January to September 2018 the government has paid US$3.5 billion in principal and interests on the nonfinancial public sector loan. For the same period in 2017, the Medina administration paid US$3.2 billion.
El Dinero reports that in the past five years the government has doubled the amount paid for interest payments on the foreign debt, while contributing less to paying principal. From 2013 to 2017, the net increase in interest payment service of the foreign debt was US$511.4 million or 106% more. The Medina government paid US$991.7 million in interest payments, compared to the previous US$480.3 million.
https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/REO/WH/Issues/2018/10/11/wreo1018
https://www.eldinero.com.do/70072/rd-paga-mas-intereses-que-capital-en-servicio-de-deuda-publica/
French Development Agency announces US$100 million to expand Metro service
The French Development Agency (AFD) announced it has approved US$100 million in financing for the expansion of the No. 1 line of the Santo Domingo Metro. The funds will be available in December 2018. The expansion is to meet demand by thousands of users.
The announcement was made by Sandra Kassab, senior charge d’affairs at the AFD when participating in the photography exhibition opening in Santo Domingo: “Rostros que se mueven con el Desarrollo” at the Juan Pablo Duarte Metro station on Máximo Gómez and John F. Kennedy avenues intersections. Kassab said the exhibition evidences the great impact the metro and skylift have had on the population of Greater Santo Domingo. Both were built with French technology.
Kassab said the agency has contributed financing for US$450 million for the Metro. Overall, over the past 20 years, AFD has provided US$625 million for city, sustainable transport, natural resources conservation, sanitation, water works, education and health projects. The AFD is also backing the Nueva Barquita urban renewal housing project.
Manuel Antonio Saleta García, director of the Metro Office (OPRET) said that on Monday, 12 November, two more cars would be in service. He said the OPRET has already contracted for five cars that would arrive next year.
http://hoy.com.do/agencia-aprueba-us100-millones-ampliar-servicios-linea-uno-metro/
Progress by Coraasan on Santiago water supply
Silvio Duran, the director general of the Santiago Water and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan), said that by the end of next year the expansion projects throughout the city will be finished, bringing some 60,000,000 gallons of water to the city’s population. He said some sectors of Santiago are now guaranteed 20 hours of water service a day while others will have water service on a continual basis.
Duran guaranteed that next year the aqueduct that Coraasan is building in the community of Cienfuegos will enter into operation and that will resolve the problem of supplying water to that area.
In the meantime, technicians from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are inspecting the expansion and refurbishing projects throughout the distribution network that Coraasan is carrying out at this time.
Some sections of Santiago experienced over 30 days without any water service during the summer, and now many residents are greeting twice a week service as a godsend. The repairs and expansion on the network will involve an investment of RD$741 million with resources from both the IDB and the central government and will benefit more than 100,000 inhabitants in the southern part of the city as well as Gurabo.
325 expats coming for National Sports Games
The Ministry of Sports announced it has invited 325 athletes from abroad to participate in the December 2018 National Sports Games. The Hermanas Mirabal 2018 Games will take place 6 to 16 December 2018. The expat athletes will be coming from Florida and several states in New England region in the USA, Europe, and Puerto Rico. The largest delegation will be from the New England region, or 155 athletes. Another 3,700 athletes from five regions of the Dominican Republic will also compete in the 36 sports.
The organizing committee of the games said that 78 athletes that participated in the recent Central American & Caribbean Games Barranquilla 2018 will be participating. These include 46 that won medals in those regional games, including Crismery Santana who won two golds.
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...25-atletas-vendran-a-juegos-desde-el-exterior
Fuel prices drop consistently, yet organizers say 27 November strike still on
The Ministry of Industry & Commerce has been gradually been reducing the price of fuel in the Dominican Republic. Nevertheless, the organizers of a national strike set for 27 November 2018 say the reductions are not enough to cancel the call to strike.
The so-called Coordinadora por la Rebaja de los Combustibles says that propane should cost no more than RD$65, and unleaded premium gasoline should top at RD$165 the gallon. Diesel should cost no more than RD$102.
The prices in effect for fuel in the Dominican Republic from 10-16 November 2018 are:
Propane RD$116.40;
Premium gasoline: RD$230.10
Regular gasoline: RD$221.40
Natural Gas RD$28.97 cubic meter,
Regular Diesel: RD$195.70,
Premium diesel RD$207.90
https://noticiassin.com/mantienen-paro-anunciado-para-este-27-de-noviembre-por-alza-combustibles/
President of the Chamber of Deputies: It’s all in the family
A recent investigative report in Diario Libre highlights the long list of close relatives of the president of the Chamber of Deputies Radhames Camacho Cuevas who are employed in government. Camacho is a member of the Political Committee of the ruling PLD party. He has done well for himself; in 8 years he has more than tripled his worth, according to wealth statements he has presented following civic society and press requests.
In a country where political patronage and wasteful spending is high, it is not unusual for several family members of an important politician to be on the government payroll. Diario Libre mentions that Camacho did not mention his wife in his statement of wealth. His wife is deputy minister at the Ministry of Education. His wife is on the Ministry of Education payroll with a monthly salary of RD$250,000. She posted her own statement of worth where she states that she has three residences worth RD$9 million, RD$2 million and RD$6 million, and bank account savings for RD$3.6 million and a loan for RD$4.8 million.
Camacho’s son, Guilver Radhames Camacho Brugos, is employed in the Dominican Telecommunications Institute making RD$60,000. Another of son Camacho, Jose Ernesto Camacho Burgos, is employed as a paralegal at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce making RD$50,000 per month. He is also on the payroll of the Dominican Port Authority as a consultant with a RD$30,000 monthly stipend.
Digna Camacho, the sister of Camacho, is on the payroll of the Ministry of Public Health where she makes RD$51,978. Deputy Camacho’s brother, Euclides Camacho Cuevas, is employed at the Central Electoral Board (JCE) with wages of RD$49,400. And his brother Wilson Camacho Cuevas is deputy consul in Anse-a-Pitre, Haiti with a wage of US$1,750. Two other sisters of the president of the Chamber of Deputies are on the state payroll as public school teachers with the Ministry of Education.
Recently, it was known that independently of his wife, Radhames Camacho posted his worth was RD$70 million, up by around 150% from what he posted when he was first voted a deputy in 2010 for the ruling party in 2010.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Radhames Camacho presented his statement of worth on 28 September 2018. The law establishes he needs to do so 30 days after he was sworn in on 16 August 2016. He had not presented an update of his statement presented when he entered the Chamber of Deputies in 2010. El Dia reports that in 2010 he reported assets of RD$43 million to RD$75 million. But Diario Libre says he declared RD$28.2 million in 2010 and now says he has RD$70.7 million. He has savings in pesos of RD$17.1 million and US$141,423 in hard currency.
In his 2018 statement of worth, Camacho declared property for RD$30.7 million, including his residence for RD$9.6 and an office valued at RD$9.1 million. He reported he has four vehicles for RD$8 million. He also has bank deposits for RD$33.3 million and a loan for RD$4 million.
Prior to being elected a deputy for the ruling PLD party, Camacho was a public school teacher. And then from 2000-2004, he was named to the board of directors of the Dominican Institute of Social Security (IDSS). He was also appointed deputy of the Parlamento Centroamericano from 2004-2010. In the ruling PLD party, he is a member of both the Central Committee and the Camacho receives net RD$164,900 in wages and has expense account of RD$40,950 plus RD$75,000 a month. In addition he gets an incentive of RD$3,500 for each session he attends and an extra RD$2,000 for commission works.
Formerly of the PRD, in 22 September 2011 Camacho joined the ruling PLD to back Medina’s aspirations to the presidency in 2012.
A cartoon in El Dia on 12 November 2018 highlights that legislators and professors are just as profitable as careers in MLB baseball.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-distintas-instituciones-estatales-MF11279630
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...cio-un-150-por-ciento-en-ocho-anos-JF11270669
https://www.diariolibre.com/cronologia/ver/****/declaracion-jurada-de-bienes
http://hoy.com.do/radhames-fermin-con-danilo/
http://eldia.com.do/camacho-declara-patrimonio-superior-a-los-rd75-millones/
h https://acento.com.do/2011/politica...obro-por-adelantado-su-apoyo-a-danilo-medina/
http://eldia.com.do/radhames-camacho-yo-deposite-mi-declaracion-jurada-antes-del-tiempo-establecido/
http://eldia.com.do/radhames-camacho-yo-deposite-mi-declaracion-jurada-antes-del-tiempo-establecido/
https://www.camaradediputados.gob.do/app/app_2011/cd_diputados_det.aspx
http://eldia.com.do/el-carrusel-de-la-vida-1319/
The high cost of managing illegal migration
The Migration Agency (DGM) reported that some 12,356 foreigners from eight countries were either repatriated or refused admission to the country during the month of October 2018. Of this number, 6,254 were not admitted upon attempting to come into the country by air, sea and land, according to a statistical report from the DGM.
According to the report the foreigners repatriated came from Columbia, Cuba, Spain, United States of America, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Vietnam. The majority of the foreigners deported had an irregular migration status, and were detained during operations of interdiction carried out during the month of October in provinces of the country.
The report from Migration indicates some 445,530 persons entered the country and 458,061 persons left the country during the month of October through the national airports with the Punta Cana International Airport being the greatest contributor to this number, followed by Las Americas International in Santo Domingo and Cibao Airport in Santiago.
Regarding the Dominican-Haitian land border, the institution reported that 21,725 persons entered the country and 17,586 persons left the country mostly through Jimani, followed by Dajabon, Elias Piña and Pedernales legal entry points.
Regarding maritime movement, some 76,449 persons entered the country and 76,587 persons left the country mostly through the tourist ports of Amber Cove in Puerto Plata and Casa de Campo in La Romana, the country’s main cruise ship ports.
http://eldia.com.do/migracion-deportan-mas-de-12-mil-extranjeros-el-mes-pasado/
Celso Marranzini: Resistance to primary care is “irrational”
Doctors and owners of medical clinics who oppose the nationwide startup of a primary care system are acting “irrationally”, in the words of former National Business Council (Conep) president Celso Marranzini. The opposing physicians and health care clinic managers argue that such a system violates the right of a free choice of medical attention by affiliates.
Marranzini said that if something has failed in the social security system it is because the doctors and clinics have stiffened their resistance to primary care units as the first level of healthcare.
Also sounding out on the situation where the Secretary-General of the National Union of Dominican Workers, Laureano Manzanillo and the president of the Institutional Central of Autonomous Workers, Rafael Castillo, who demanded the different sectors of the country to join forces to force the entry of the primary care system in the family health insurance.
The Dominican Medical Guild (CMD) is opposed to the implementation of primary care arguing that thousands of patients would no longer be able to use their insurance to continue care with their choice of medics, while the health providers would continue to collect on the insurance.
https://elnacional.com.do/ve-irracional-oposicion-a-la-atencion-primaria/
https://elnacional.com.do/centrales-piden-entrada-plan-de-atencion-primaria/
Update on the pythons
It is now known that Silvio Alcántara is the owner of the reticulated pythons that were seized by the Army in Jicomé, Valverde province when being transferred last week. The snakes measured more than 6 meters. They were taken to the National Zoo where veterinarians reported they were in good condition.
The import of these snakes is banned in the country. The transporters could not present authorization from the Ministry of Environment for the keeping and handling of the snakes.
He said the snakes had been kept in a ranch of his property in Higüerito, in the northwestern province of Santiago Rodríguez. He said he was contemplating opening a zoo and marketing it as a tourist attraction but could not find enough government support.
The snakes were confiscated at the crossing between Esperanza and Navarrete when they were being transported after he donated these to a zoo located in Santiago de los Caballeros owned by former deputy Radhames Fermin.
Alcantara said the snakes were imported around 10 years ago by Dominican biologist Marcelino Hernández. He said he spent a large amount of money to breed the snakes. He said every 15 days the snakes would eat a small 150 lb baby cow.
Alcántara says he still has a female tiger and a crane on his farm.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...jicome-tambien-tiene-una-tigresa-y-una-grulla
http://eldia.com.do/serpientes-incautadas-en-valverde-tenian-10-anos-en-cautiverio/
PRD chooses open primaries to decide its presidential candidate
Since 2015, the PRD party that has been a strong ally to the ruling PLD. Last week the party announced that its National Executive Committee has decided on the modality of open primaries to choose its presidential candidate for the 2020 general election. This means any person eligible to vote can vote for the presidential candidate of the PRD. The recently Political Parties Law ordered these be held on the same day and hour nationwide. The JCE will be deducting the cost of organizing the costly open primaries from the government allotments made to each political party.
Foreign Minister and president of the PRD Miguel Vargas Maldonado made the announcement on Saturday, 10 November 2018. He said that for the legislative and municipal elections it was decided that an assembly of party leaders and delegates would meet to come forth with their recommendation of the modality that would be used for these. The commission includes José Leonel Cabrera, Peggy Cabral, Rafael Vásquez, Julio Santos, Janet Camilo, Juan Morales, Juan Carlos Beras, Julio Mariñez, Carlos Gabriel García, Alejandro Abreu, Héctor Guzmán, Luis Ernesto Camilo, Ulises Hernández, Joel Díaz and Juan Santos.
Earlier, on 27 October 2018, the Central Committee of the ruling PLD deposited with the JCE that they had chosen the open primaries modality to choose their presidential candidate.
The PRM, the largest opposition party, has chosen to celebrate closed primaries.
The ruling PLD party has registered with the JCE to hold open primaries.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...e-decide-por-primarias-abiertas-y-simultaneas
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/11...ien-aprueba-primarias-abiertas-y-simultaneas/
Alicia Ortega will tell the Metro story in Colombia
Investigative reporter Alicia Ortega presented her work on the Santo Domingo Metro system during the 2018 Latin American Conference on Investigative Journalism that was held over the weekend. Ortega’s participation is part of the section dedicated to state corruption and her research was selected by the Press and Society Institute as being among the best journalistic reporting in Latin America to be presented at the four-day conference in Bogotá.
Ortega’s report also includes the more than two dozen companies tied to Diandino Peña who was for many years in charge of the Opret office that was building the Metro system.
Ortega’s research is called “The Undeclared Emporium” and was carried on national Dominican television in May 2017. Nine months of research lead to the revelation on TV that Peña was behind at least 29 companies, 15 of them registered overseas and 14 in the Dominican Republic. The information was gathered thanks to a major leaking of information and the hard work of international investigators and the revelations produced by the famous “Panama papers” on the database of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca that specialized in creating offshore companies while hiding the real identity of the owners.
The information from those papers also brought to light companies in tax havens that were held by government officials as well as important political, entertainment and government personalities in the Dominican Republic, especially Diandino Peña who was fired from his position just days after Alicia Ortega’s revelations.
https://www.diariolibre.com/revista...on-sobre-el-metro-de-santo-domingo-AK11286240
https://elinformeconaliciaortega.co...e-diandino-pena-autoridades-guardan-silencio/
Appeals Court increases SFM sentence by three years
Former San Francisco de Macoris mayor Felix Manuel Rodríguez Grullón appealed for getting a 5-year sentence, but lost the appeal. Now he needs to serve eight years in jail, for corruption in office, instead of five.
The Court of Appeals of Santo Domingo had convicted Felix Rodriguez, the former Mayor of San Francisco de Macoris, for the misappropriation and embezzlement regarding RD$400 million in irregular payments when he was in the position. The former official was ordered to serve his sentence at the Correctional and Rehabilitation Center “Vista del Valle” in San Francisco de Macoris. He was also sentenced to pay a RD$30 million peso fine, instead of the previous RD$5 million. Rodríguez is a PLD politician.
As part of the same case, Jerson Lizardo, the former personnel director at the Mayor’s office will have to serve five years in prison sentence at the same institution and payment of RD$10 million fine.
Another person involved, Fiordaliza Genao was sentenced to five years of house arrest. She had been discharged in the previous hearing.
The court handed down the sentence after reviewing appeals of a sentence given in December 2017 by the Second Collegiate Tribunal of Santo Domingo that had convicted Rodriguez to five years in prison. The first court argued that Rodriguez could only be convicted for administrative faults and not bribes or swindles, nor were the actions criminal association or acts of corruption that were added to the sentence in the Court of Appeals.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...lcalde-de-san-francisco-de-macoris-CK11285241
https://acento.com.do/2018/actualid...na-al-felix-san-francisco-macoris-corrupcion/
https://acento.com.do/2017/actualid...x-san-francisco-macoris-otros-exfuncionarios/
Authorities arrest lead suspect in munitions and weapons contraband
Julio Alfredo Rondon Abreu is accused of being the person responsible for a shipment of 60,000 bullets and 15 semi-automatic pistols seized last week at East Haina Port. The ammunition and pistols of different calibers were discovered in a freight container on the docks at Haina Oriental by members of the Ministry of Defense’s intelligence agency (J2). They were bundled in 600 boxes with an apple juice shipment by the Barcelonica Trans Commercial company. One of its representatives, identified by the authorities as Federico Sosa Guzman, has also been detained.
The authorities say that Rondon has a criminal record and has been tried for drug trafficking, tax evasion, bribing judges. He was arrested in his residence in Bella Vista in the National District by officers of the J2 and Public Ministry.
http://eldia.com.do/arrestado-por-contrabando-armas-tiene-largo-historial/
https://elnacional.com.do/buscan-determinar-duenos-60-mil-balas-y-15-pistolas/
Professional Winter Baseball League update
The Gigantes del Cibao, Aguilas Cibaeñas and Estrellas Orientales are tied for first place in the Dominican Professional Winter Baseball Championship. The triple tie occurred after the Licey Tigers defeated the Aguilas Cibaeñas 1-0 on Sunday evening at the Quisqueya Ball Park in Santo Domingo. On Sunday, the Estrellas defeated the Toros also at their home club in San Pedro de Macoris (1-0) and the Escogido defeated the Gigantes del Cibao in San Francisco de Macoris 13-11.
See the tournament standings and the calendar at:
http://www.lidom.com/home/